Friday, December 4

Wagner Collection at the Whitney, 25 Years of Astute Buying

"More collectors of contemporary art should follow the lead of Thea Westreich Wagner and her husband, Ethan Wagner. They are neither building a private museum to house their holdings nor sending their trove off to auction hoping for headline-grabbing profits, although this is partly because their purchases have not especially encompassed the so-called trophy art that earns such profits. Instead, Ms. Westreich Wagner and Mr. Wagner are doing something that is, unfortunately, beginning to feel old-fashioned. They are giving a great deal of a strong collection with an independent bent to two museums historically committed to new art. All told, some 850 works amassed mostly during, and mostly dating from, the last quarter-century will move house (but not quite yet — the majority are promised gifts)...."NY Times